With the increasing demand for stability, durability and fuel economy for vehicles, there is a need to develop rubber having superior wet grip, high mechanical strength and low rolling resistance as a material for vehicle tires, especially tire treads in contact with roads.
Although conventional tire treads have been formed by mixing conjugated diene-based rubber with an inorganic filler for enhancing properties as above, problems of high hysteresis loss or low dispersibility may occur.
Hence, research is ongoing into a modified polymer having superior resilience and thus high fuel savings, as disclosed in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2003-0060752, but the effects thereof are insufficient.